Doncic’s career-high leads Madrid over Efes

Teenage superstar Luka Doncic showcased his brilliance while Gustavo Ayon dominated inside as Real Madrid opened the new season in style by defeating Anadolu Efes Istanbul on the road 74-88 on Thursday night at Sinan Erdem Dome. Madrid became the first team to register a victory in the 2017-18 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season by dominating three out of four quarters against Efes. Madrid opened a 25-43 lead in the second quarter before Errick McCollum led an Efes comeback. When Ricky Ledo joined in, Efes came within 60-62 early in the fourth quarter, but Doncic, Ayon and Anthony Randolph had all the answers and a 3-14 Madrid run put the game away. Doncic had a career-high 27 points along with 4 rebounds and 4 steals, while Ayon posted 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Anthony Randolph contributed with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, while Felipe Reyes added 10 points in victory. In their respective EuroLeague debuts, McCollum led Efes with 26 points and Ledo scored 17 with 9 rebounds. Bryant Dunston collected 17 points and 7 rebounds in the losing effort.

The honor was Dunston’s to score this season’s first basket, but soon after it was Ayon taking over. He scored 6 consecutive points to give Madrid an early 5-8 lead, and after Ledo scored his first triple in the competition, Randolph and Facundo Campazzo hit from downtown for the visitors and Ayon scored twice more to open a 14-22 lead. Then it was time for Doncic to shine; he made a three to end the first quarter and another early in the second during a 2-12 run that made it 21-37. Doncic and Randolph extended the margin to 18 points before McCollum went to work, starting with a three-point play, followed by a jumper and a fastbreak layup soon after for 9 points in less than four minutes that cut
the deficit to 36-45 at halftime.

The teams traded baskets in the second quarter before McCollum scored 7 points and with Efes running an up tempo game, Ledo added a series of his baskets, including a pair of coast-to-coast moves. Efes got within 56-60 late in the third quarter, and Dunston’s put-back made it 60-62 early in the fourth. But Doncic fueled a 3-14 charge with 5 and an assist on Randolph’s corner three before Ayon capped the run with a steal and a fastbreak dunk that made it 63-76. Efes never came single digits the rest of the way.

Head Coaches

PERASOVIC, VELIMIR

Anadolu Efes Istanbul

"Congrats to Real Madrid, they played better. I think our game was conditioned by the very bad first quarter when they opened a big advantage. After that we came back in the end of third quarter and the beginning of the final quarter, but we did not have energy to make a positive result and take the lead. I can say nothing about the fight of the team, we fought well. But with bad percentages of the shots and having only few assists, it is not enough to win against a team like Real Madrid."

LASO, PABLO

Real Madrid

"I think our start was very good. We played very good for the first 15 minutes. We dominated, and had a good advantage. But Efes is a good team that plays hard, it has good scorers. So they came back by halftime. In the second half we had control, but it happened similar to the first half, they attacked the rim, got hot, and got closer. But we were able to play smart, both offensively and defensively, and finally got an important victory. We played a little bit slower in the second half. We had a feeling we should not get into situations to run up and down, we wanted to control the tempo a little bit more. They were rebounding well, so we were not able to run in the second half. We were able to move the ball well, find open jumpers. We were not hitting all those shots, but we were playing solid. It was a solid performance. I think we can play much better defensively and offensively, but I am very happy with the victory. "

"For me Sergio Llull is Sergio Llull and Luka Doncic is Luka Doncic. You cannot compare players. We are very glad that Luka Doncic is still growing as a player. I think he had a very good game tonight. But it was a solid performance from everyone. Sometimes for Luka to show how good of a player he needs the rest of the team work like they did. Gustavo Ayon played a great game, Reyes and Randolph were very solid. Taylor did a great job defensively. I think it was more of a team effort, knowing that I will be always asked questions about Doncic. But most important is that we are Real Madrid and we won the game."

Players

DONCIC, LUKA

Real Madrid

"It was a great win. This is a great team and we played on their home court. So it was hard work, but we did a great job. It was a lot of ups and downs, especially in the end of third quarter, but we stayed together as a team, worked hard, and we will take the win. I feel great. It is anything I can do to help my team, and help my teammates, but also the teammates help me on the court, and coaches help me, that’s why I am here. "